November 16, 2009, 7:00PM
Jonathon Gruenke / KalamaBrew
GRAND RAPIDS/SECRETVILLE  At the Grand Rapids International Food & Wine Festival last weekend, we spotted the Founders Brewing Company booth and its sign with a peculiar label on it.

In addition to its regular lineup, there was a small label for something called "Nemesis." We asked Founders vice president and director of marketing Dave Engbers, who was working the booth, about it. He said he could say nothing, other than he was one of five people in the world who knows what it is (Thanks!).

This afternoon, KB called Founders head brewer Jeremy Kosmicki to find out more. He said: "I'm really not at liberty to give anything else out" (which, for the record, is a terrible phrase to use when the person asking the question is actually named "Liberty"). It was reported in June that Nemesis would be out in December, but Kosmicki said that won't happen now. Whatever it is, don't expect to see it on tap or in bottles until at least late February or early March.

"It'll be crazy and delicious," Kosmicki said.

It remains a popular topic for Kosmicki.

"It seems like every conversation I get into about beer, it comes up," he said.

From what Kosmicki said, this will be an annually-launched, limited-release beer made in whichever style he chooses.

Unable to crack this egg, we also tried contacting Founders head cellarman/Communist Jason Heystek. His only response was a denial and this comic, which is "hung ... on the wall at the brewery concerning this beer."

"Grand Rapids, MI  There has been rampant speculation and questions surrounding Founders Brewings upcoming Nemesis Series beer #1 (Founders Nemesis 2009). Thanks to a Virginia beer distribution rep, we now know what the beer is.

He posts: Description: The 2009 release of Nemesis is best described as a Maple Bourbon barrel aged wheat wine holding 12% abv and 70 ibus. The barrels have been resting deep in the mines of Grand Rapids for nearly 9 months and have been most effective in developing a great product.

The Bourbon barrels we used in this creation were once used to age Maple syrup from northern Michigan, then emptied, and procured for our use in aging this beer. The combination of American oak, Kentucky Bourbon, Michigan Maple syrup and our golden/tan wheat ale has provided a delicious malty sweet ale distinctive of strong vanilla and bourbon notes.

It will be released in the next 2-4 weeks according to the representative.

For those not attune to what the Founders Nemesis Series is, it is a new line of one-offs that the brewery plans on releasing each year. This first beer was scheduled for release in December though there were delays.

If there was a chart of top 20 most-anticipated beers in 2010 list, this would undoubtedly be on it. Stay tuned for release details . . . " -- Beernews.org"

I had forgotten all about this. Apparently Nemesis changes each year. At least according to their won info. This sounds like a crazy beer that I cannot wait to try. Founders is one of my top 5 breweries. I wont' say that I like every single beer they make, but anything that is not sour or too fruity has been excellent. I've spoken with the owner a couple of times at beer tastings and he's been very generous at describing ingredients and methods. I would really like to get down there and tour the place one of these days. I've always managed to get there when they were not doing anything.

__________________I'm not the first guy who fell in love with a woman that he met at a restaurant who turned out to be the daughter of a kidnapped scientist, only to lose her to her childhood lover who she last saw on a deserted island, who then turned out fifteen years later to be the leader of the French underground.